Fuzzy Dwarf not happy

imstriker · 09-04-2003, 10:39 AM

My dwarf lion is in a really bad mood. Now he won't do the one thing he is good at... eat. I have tried giving him krill, and he won't go. So, I went back to live food, and he does not even move. I know they go on hunger strikes, but this has been a while. I am starting to get very concerned. He does not really budge when I put food in front of him. The fins don't even pop out. It may be my paranoia, but I think his eyes seems cloudy also. I am worried that he is having sight problems. The tank only has about 40 watts of light on it, so I doubt it is light blindness. I was thinking of trying some epsom salt in the tank for awhile (he is the only fish in it) as I have seen other places mention. Any other thoughts? I am stuck dwelling on this while I am at work. Thankfully, there is this wonderful TRT outlet

squid · 09-04-2003, 10:54 AM

What does your water test show?

Popeye · 09-04-2003, 11:03 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by squid
What does your water test show?

Whenever I have fish start acting differently I immediately check water for Ammonia and Nitrates.

Alice · 09-04-2003, 11:08 AM

What about water temp?

imstriker · 09-04-2003, 11:14 AM

Well, I checked everything last night like usual. Everything seems just fine and dandy. 0 on the nitrate, and the ammonia is next to 0 (as close as my poor test kit ever comes). Same thing that tank is always at. The temperature is right at 78, and has not appeared to have fluxed. I cannot see any change in the tank itself.

squid · 09-04-2003, 11:43 AM

you didn't mention Nitrite's...Ammonia breaks down into Nitrites before Nitrates. If you have any trace of Ammonia, I would surely test for Nitrites.

I am gonna recommend you check for the Nitrites and then probably do a water change.

imstriker · 09-04-2003, 11:49 AM

Ok, I have to think about this, I am one kit shy at the moment. I probably checked nitrites, and not nitrates as I said earlier. That sounds much better. I will go out and get a nitrate kit tonight if you guys think that may shed light on the subject. My nitrites have always been zero after the initial spike. Thanks again for your help...

Geoff · 09-04-2003, 02:35 PM

nitrates can slowly increase over time. this should be checked. certain fish do not like nitrates at all, while others are OK with it. if you are consistent with water changes then this is usually kept in check, but sometimes can get out of kilter. what is your filtration for this tank?

G~

imstriker · 09-04-2003, 03:02 PM

It has a 4" sand bed, with about 10 pounds of live rock. It also has a hang-on power filter on the back. I have not had the budget to put a skimmer on this tank yet. I am definetely going test kit buying tonight and doing a major water change. Thank you for all your thoughts.

Popeye · 09-04-2003, 03:19 PM

Tell me moreabout your tank and its other inhabitants.

ReefDave · 09-04-2003, 03:25 PM

imstriker, also might be a stupid question by what kinda of ammonia and nitrite kits are you using? The reagents tend to go bad over time, especially after they are opened. You mentioned about the ammonia "as close as my kit ever gets" or something along those lines. I had an ammonia kit along time ago (tetra I think) and when the reagents went bad with it, it would just give a cloudy reading, never seemed to have any ammonia, later tested the same water with a salifert kit...and WOW I was torturing my fish......if you are using an old kit you might just want to have an LFS test it to make sure your kit is ok.

Dave

Geoff · 09-04-2003, 03:26 PM

how often do you clean out the power filter. the floss inside power filters can become a nitrate factory. i have found that these power filters need to be cleaned twice a week to keep all of the detritus from breaking down.

G~

imstriker · 09-04-2003, 04:06 PM

Wow, popular little thread today... Well, based on that, I do not clean it out often enough. I have been cleaning them out once a week. Have to step that up a notch. Hopefully I will know more after getting a nitrate kit tonight.

As for my other kits, they are Aquarium Pharm. Since the ammonia kit has been brand new, I have never seen it read what the chart says is zero. It always looks a little higher than that, even on clean RO water. It measured fine though during both of my tank spikes so I never really worried about it.

imstriker · 09-09-2003, 08:34 AM

Ok, it is update time... Thanks again for all of your help. I checked my nitates, and they were fine. I went ahead and did a large water change, just for good measure. I did manage to get him to eat by irritating him for 5 minutes. That was enough to make him strike.

However, his eyes are getting worse. They are almost completely clouded over now, and I just don't know what to do. I put epsom salt in as recommended elsewhere, but still it gets worse. I really want to help my poor fish, but I don't know what to do.

Other odd behavior... In the morning he goes to the surface and sticks his mouth above water like a betta. Does this mean the tank is not oxygenated enough? I have a power filter and a powerhead on this tank with little bioload, so I assumed it would be fine. But, I have never tested for oxygen. Could this be his problem?

Popeye · 09-09-2003, 09:05 AM

What type of airation do you have in your tank? You may have aquired an unhealthy specimen from the start. What other fish do you have in your tank? Do you have any other fish that are sick?